This year, Grow introduced a new benefit in the form of two volunteer days, paid volunteer time for our team members. As we turn the page on a new year, we can’t help but reflect on the wonderful contributions of our team members to numerous organizations serving our Tampa Bay and South Carolina communities.

Volunteer days and community service

As an organization dedicated to serving people, the culture at Grow has always included a strong emphasis on serving the community and volunteering. The decision to set aside specific paid volunteer time was made amid the pandemic, when our collective communities needed kindness, support and resources more than ever. Kim Woollard, Chief Human Resources Officer, said, “When COVID-19 first hit, we wanted to be really creative about what we could do to give back to our team members. And we thought, what better way to give back to our team members than to give back to the community as well?”

Grow the greater good

One of our guiding principles at Grow is “Grow the greater good.” This concept is an integral part of who we are and how we serve people, not profit. Our team members each contribute to fostering this culture of service, and a few of them shared their perspectives to provide a deeper sense of what volunteerism and growing the greater good truly means.

John Flores, Business Solutions Relationship Manager, dedicated volunteer time to building bicycles for homeless veterans. He shared, “To me, when you’re out there doing the work, making a change and seeing the change — that is growing the greater good.”

Deionne Scatliffe, Executive Operations Coordinator, spent time volunteering with Meals on Wheels, a non-profit that delivers meals to homebound people, including seniors and people with disabilities. She said, “It’s important to volunteer because it helps you come out of your own world, your own zone, and see what else is out there — struggles that other people may be facing that you’re not aware of or things that are impacting other people’s lives that you just know nothing about. It opens your eyes and makes you want to help make the world a better place.”

Over 3,000 hours served

From food banks to youth development to veterans’ services, the numerous causes and organizations our team members selected reflect the passion areas of our diverse team. Taramattee Ramotar, Relationship Specialist III, used one of her volunteer days serving with Metropolitan Ministries. She said, “It was heartwarming to reach so many great women and their children, serving them dinner and seeing the smile on their faces. Metropolitan Ministries is a very incredible organization helping families going through hardship.” Team members also helped clear public hiking trails, participated in beach clean-ups, assisted with COVID-19 vaccination efforts, helped at local animal shelters and so much more. In total, Grow team members completed over 5,600 volunteer service hours in 2022.

To anyone reading this looking for ways to get involved, we encourage you to consider what you’re passionate about, then get connected with local organizations doing the work. When it comes to volunteers, the more the merrier! Thank you to all our team members who gave of their time and efforts this year to serve their communities.

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